


tonight, i'll need you to stay

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF), Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Bad Decisions, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Gen, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Running Away
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-01-06 01:07:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12200916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "The Dun's older son is missing." Kelly said sadly, and Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Oh okay. What was his name again? Jason?" He mumbled, rubbing his face. The police was out here just for this? He had thought that it was a murder or something like that, not some attention whore with bright yellow hair and a nose ring running away from home. His mother cleared her throat."No, Joshua. Josh. Josh Dun."He had never liked him anyway.But why does he care so much?





	1. have you seen this boy?

The blue and red lights outside woke Tyler up, his eyes going wide from all the noise. What the _hell_ was happening in the middle of a wednesday night?

Getting up while groaning and rubbing his face as he tried not to fall on the floor, he looked through the window : multiple police cars were gathered in front on the Dun's house, just in front of his own, and his mother was outside, as well as Zack who was sitting on the edge of the sidewalk, head in his hands. He debated wether he should go downstairs or not. He sighed, too curious to go back to sleep, and ran downstairs to see what was happening.

Stepping outside of the house, he realized that he should've brought a jacket or at least something warm to wear, because in march the weather is still cold, especially for someone who was only wearing sweatpants without any shirt on.

He jogged towards his mom who was in front of the Dun's house, speaking with a policeman. "Mom!" He said, voice a bit croaky. "What the hell is going on?"

The policeman glared at him, and his mother turned towards him with a sad smile. The Duns' mother was sobbing not far away from his mom, her daughters and her husband in her arms, his son sitting next to Zack, running his hands through his hair.

"The Dun's older son is missing." Kelly said sadly, and Tyler raised an eyebrow. "Oh okay. What was his name again? Jason?" He mumbled, rubbing his face. He had thought that it was a murder or something like that, not some attention whore with bright yellow hair and a nose ring running away from home. His mother cleared her throat. "No, Joshua. Josh. Josh Dun. You know, the one who helped Maddy the other time? And-" She started. "Let me guess, and who has good grades and would be a much better son than me? I know, you always talk about him." Tyler spat, irritated. He was done with this, his mother was always talking about this kid and babbling about how perfect he was. Kelly let out a shocked squeak. _"Tyler!"_

Tyler just rolled his eyes, clearly being childish, crossing his arms and turning on his heels to go home. He heard his mother mutter under her breath _"what_ _a_ _brat",_ but he didn't even give importance to it as he slammed the door of the house.

Of course, he wasn't a perfect son. He had never been, and won't ever be. He hadn't always been nice and calm either. He still wasn't. But he had never put his parents in trouble, never got involved with the police, just got into two or three fist fights in his life. He really was a brat, a little piece of shit full of himself, not caring about anyone, ever. But he never got his parents in that much of trouble.

He smirked, the Dun guy's runaway sounding like a victory to him. Finally, his mother would understand.

It seemed like Josh wasn't that perfect, after all.

 

* * *

 

 

Tyler really liked the fact that he always had earbuds in his backpack, especially when, as he got to school, everyone was talking about Josh Dun. Every single conversation was about the guy.

The brown-haired junior sighed loudly when two girls asked him what he knew about what was happening. "I don't care about this guy, okay? He's just thirsty for attention." He just earned a glare from both of them, before they went away, muttering that the Joseph kid was really turning insane.

He wasn't in the mood for this shit after the night he had had. Sleepless nights were the worst, and being sleep deprived wouldn't help his bad temperament.

Leaving his bag on a desk, the farthest one from the teacher's desk, he sat down and slouched on the table, looking like a melting puddle. He closed his eyes, waiting for the history class to start. The chair besides him moved not long after, and someone sat down. Tyler grunted.

"Aren't you Phil, or something like that?" He asked, glancing at the guy, who gave him a weird look. "Dan, actually. Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked softly, and Tyler almost snorted at how soft this guy looked in general, from his brown curls to his painted nails. "I do mind, but as long as you're not some talkative idiot who can't stop babbling and gossipping, then, I can probably deal with it."

Dan smiled bitterly. "Bad luck."

Tyler sighed, not getting up as the teacher entered the classroom. He doesn't have time to be polite, okay? Tired, he didn't even bother to take his books out and just slouched more on the table, his head resting on his forearms. Dan elbowed him. "Heard about Dun?"

Tyler glared. "Do you think I live under a rock? I'm his neighbor, and even if I wasn't, since everyone is talking about him, I can't not have heard about this attention whore." Dan's eyes widened. "Hey, dude, chill! I just wanted to ask you if you could help me give these papers to people after school."

He handed Tyler some flyers, and his heart jumped ; in bold, black letters was written " _have you seen this boy?"_. At the bottom, informations were written, like his height and his weight, what he was wearing when he was last seen. Finally, in the middle, a picture of Josh Dun was there. His mocha, tired eyes looked straight at the camera, not even a smile on his face. His bright yellow hair was there, and his nose ring too. Tyler shook his head in disbelief. How could you put such an ugly picture for someone like Josh? He looked prettier in real life.

Tyler looked up at Dan, who had a really hopeful smile. " No." Dan's smile disappeared. "But why, Joseph? You don't want to find Josh?"

Tyler closed his eyes. "I don't. Do you think he wants to be found, if he left?"

Silence.

"But-" "There's not anything to add, Dan. Just let me sleep, okay? I'm not nice when I'm sleep deprived."

Tyler slept for two hours on a history class desk, dreaming about a yellow haired boy dying of coldness and hunger in the darkness of the woods.


	2. les giboulées de mars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i legit update two stories in two hours after being gone for months?
> 
> yes, i did.
> 
> hope you appreciate that♥

The bell rang, anouncing five in the afternoon, and Tyler was thankful. He unplugged his earbuds and locked his phone, quickly getting up from the floor as the door of the classroom in front of him opened. People were getting out, rushing to other classes or rushing to get back home and far away from the school as fast as possible. He had to wait two more minutes to finally spot the awkwardly tall guy with soft curls he was looking for. "Daniel Howell." He said loud enough for him to hear it, and earned a weird look from him. Then, Dan's face lit up and he walked towards him.

"Joseph! I didn't recognize you with your hood on. How did you find me?" He asked, looking like he was the happiest person alive. "First, don't shout my name like that, second, your timetable had fallen from your backpack..." He shoved it in Dan's hand before turning away. "And third, don't look at me like you're happy to see me."

Dan jogged towards Tyler to walk beside him. "Why wouldn't I be happy to see you?" He asked, and before Tyler could answer, the headmaster passed by. "Hood, Joseph!" Tyler groaned _"cunt"_ while removing it. He then looked at Dan. "I don't have much time, so let's be quick, okay?" He said, almost uncomfortable to admit that he had gave in. Dan's look made him even more uncomfortable. The guy looked like a child at Christmas. "I'm not distributing any of your stupid flyers to people, though. We're glueing them in the street." Dan was too afraid that objecting would make him change his mind, so he just nodded really fast, making Tyler roll his eyes.

 

* * *

 

"Tyler, the night is falling, couldn't we—" Dan started, stopping when he saw Tyler's glare. Seriously, when was this guy in a good mood or even nice to anybody? "Dude, you were the one who wanted to do this. We're glueing these fucking papers, night or not." He said, surprisingly not sounding angry. Just bitter, like always. But not aggressive. "Why did you agree to do that?" Dan asked, only earning silence as an answer. "You made it clear that you don't like the guy very much, or at least that's what I thought I had understood. Was I wrong?" He tried again, Tyler not turning away from the paper he was fixing to the brick wall. "You weren't." He simply answered, tape in his mouth, trying to fix the paper as straight as he could, looking away from Josh Dun's face. It made him feel bad. It felt like he was staring into his soul, knowing every thought going through his head, every memory, every feeling. "You kinda like that dude, right?"

Tyler dropped the tape and walked towards Dan, fast. The taller guy's heart skipped a beat. Was he going to hit him? That boy was four inches smaller than him, but he still looked dangerous. Tyler Joseph was scary, the night had fallen and the street lamps were barely making any light. Daniel suddenly felt really cold.

Tyler simply slapped the papers on Dan's chest. "For the stupid statement you just made, you're taping what's left on your own." The shorter one simply said. Dan looked at him, blinking a few times, before laughing. "What?" Tyler asked, annoyed to not understand what was going on. Dan just took the papers Tyler was handing him (more like pressing against his chest), and shook his head. "Nothing." He answered, still smiling, walking to the next wall, picking the tape up from the floor on his way. Why in _hell_ had he suddenly been scared of Tyler Joseph? The latter trotted behind Dan, still confused, while the taller one was thinking about the fact that the Joseph kid wasn't as mean as people would usually say. Annoying and a brat, yes — but he wasn't the bad guy in the story. He just needed a friend.

"What are you thinking about that's making you smile so wide, and why the fuck are you so silent? You're freaking me out, asshole!" Tyler said, clearly annoyed this time. Yeah, definitely a brat, but nowhere near despicable.

Dan taped the last paper, smoothed it out with his hand and put the tape in his pocket. He turned towards Tyler, still smiling, and patted his arm roughly. "You're a good guy, Joseph." He said, eyes crinkled and smiling wide. Tyler furrowed his brows in confusion. "Don't touch me."

Dan snorted and simply ruffled Tyler's hair before walking past him. "See you tomorrow, we're having lunch together!"

Tyler just stood there, confused. What the fuck was going through this guy's head? He simply shook his head and turned away. Tonight, he'd go home later than usual. He wanted to go wander in the woods. Maybe he'd find something. Someone.

 

* * *

 

"Tyler, it's ten in the evening! Where on _earth_ were you?" His mom screeched with a high-pitched voice. She was clearly pissed. Tyler almost felt bad for a second when he walked past her to go open the fridge. _Almost._ "Don't ignore me, Tyler Robert Joseph!" She screamed, before bursting into tears. "You're making our lives a mess, for God's sake! At least try to respect us! To _coexist_ with us!" She was right, in a way. But did Tyler care? No, he didn't. He just closed the fridge, not taking anything, and looked at her with a bored look on his face. "Don't look at me like that! Don't act so emotionless! Please, show me it's hurting you to hurt us!"

His dad had came in the living room and he put a reassuring hand on Kelly's shoulder. Tyler looked at them. "Truth is, it doesn't hurt me one bit. Dad, mom, goodnight." He said flatly. He nodded at them before climbing the stairs four by four. He heard a muffled sob coming from his mom and then slammed his bedroom door to be away from that stupid scene.

That night, in his room, Tyler burnt a page of history homework he was supposed to do for the next day, he made origamis and burnt them right after, and really early in the morning, he had a panic attack in the bathroom and puked a bit because of the nightmare he had just had about Josh Dun dying in a forest, alone. Why was he feeling empathy for someone?

 

* * *

 

" _Les giboulées de mars."_ the French teacher said. "It's the french way of talking about March's sleet storms, happening during the transition from winter to spring." She added in her sharp French accent. Tyler looked outside the window and almost snorted. She had chosen the right time to talk about this ; the rain was pouring outside. He closed his eyes, his thoughts going back to Josh Dun. Did he have anywhere to go to not be soaking wet? He would probably get sick if he stayed under that rain.

Tyler had probably fallen asleep, because he jolted awake when the teacher called his name. She didn't look too pleased. "Joseph, can you do what I just asked you, please?" She said, and Tyler felt stupid.

"Read the second paragraph of the _Arthur Rimbaub_ poem she gave us." His neighbor whispered to him. Mrs Duboit was looking expectantly at him, and before she could add anything, Tyler read.

> _« Un soldat jeune, bouche ouverte, tête nue,_   
>  _Et la nuque baignant dans le frais cresson bleu,_   
>  _Dort ; il est étendu dans l’herbe, sous la nue,_   
>  _Pâle dans son lit vert où la lumière pleut. »_
> 
> ( _Le Dormeur Du Val, Arthur Rimbaud)_

She looked at him, and nodded bitterly. "Translate it." She said sharply. Tyler sighed. "Um... A young soldier, mouth open, naked head, and his neck swimming in the fresh blue grass... Um, sleeps, he's spreaded in the grass, and, he's pale in his... Green bed? Where the light pours."

He saw a guy smiling in the first row, and it made him understand that what he had said was right. "That's kind of what it says. You're right. That's right. Right. Okay. _Anyway."_ She mumbled. "What does it mean?"

Tyler let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked towards his neighbor. Really pale, blue eyes, black hair with a fringe. "Thank you, um..." Tyler started. "Phil." His neighbor said while smiling. Tyler just nodded.

"Joseph? Could you say what it means by what Ezra just read to us?" The teacher asked him, and he rolled his eyes. "It means he's dead." Phil whispered. "It means he's dead." Tyler repeated louder.

"Yes." She said. "This young man died early in the morning, in the cold grass of a forest."

A shiver ran down Tyler's spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love writing this. tyler's character in this is very interesting to work with, and his bad temper changes a lot from what i usually write. tell me what you think!


	3. pumpkin spice latte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk anymore

Tyler was slouching on the table again when a paper was put in front of him. "Here. Figured that you might need this." Someone said, and to his own surprise, he could recognise Dan's voice pretty well. Probably the British accent giving it away. He sat up straighter, looking at the paper. The history homework? He squinted at Dan who was sitting down. "How did you—" "How did I know you weren't going to do it?" Dan cut him off, raising an eyebrow. Tyler let out a sigh. Of course Dan didn't know that he had burnt his homework in his room because he was fucking obsessed with fire. It was pure hasard. A lucky hasard, though. "Thank you, I guess?" He said to his new friend, who smiled at him. He wouldn't say that he loves the guy, but his compagny was definitely well appreciated.

"Rough night?" Dan asked ten minutes later. Tyler sighed. "Is it _that_ obvious?" He answered. The taller guy shrugged. "I just know how sleepless nights look on someone." He said. "We're going out for lunch." He added before Tyler could say anything. The latter looked at Dan and snorted. "Is that a date?" "Of course not!" Dan quickly answered. "We're taping papers again."

Tyler surprised himself by nodding. He wasn't really hungry anyway, and skipping a trip in the crowded cafeteria was worth taping those stupid papers downtown.

__

* * *

 

"Are you fucking _handicapped?"_ Tyler squeaked after Dan had fallen for the sixth time in twenty minutes. "I'm sorry, but that fucking rain is making the floor slippy!" He squeaked back, getting up while wincing, and it was honestly ridiculous. You could compare them to two puppies barking at each other after their first bath and you wouldn't see any difference. "Dude, stop screaming!" Tyler said. "Hey, I'm soaking wet, it's pouring rain and I _hate_ rain, if you couldn't tell." Dan spat through gritted teeth. Tyler sighed while rolling his eyes. He patted an angry Dan's arm. "Let's head back, man. We'll do that stupid useless taping shit again later." He proposed. He was answered by a sneeze, making him laugh. Dan's heart skipped a bit from surprise, but he didn't say anything. Tyler Joseph had laughed? It didn't last though, he went back to his usual straight face right after. The tall guy scratched the back of his head. "Could we— I mean. I don't really want to—" "I don't either." Tyler cut him off. "I have some money on me. Starbucks?" He asked Dan, and the latter blinked a few times. He nodded while Tyler gave him a genuine, warm smile.

 

* * *

 

 

"A Pumpkin Spice Latte, please." Dan muttered. Tyler snorted. "So you're _THAT_ soft and aesthetic?" He said, making Dan's face an even deeper red. "Go sit down while I order mine." Tyler said, still laughing. Dan just nodded and went to sit down, still red. _God,_ he should've taken a black coffee without sugar to impress the guy. Hah— He didn't need to impress him! He shook his head. Tyler had been surprisingly decent all day, even sweet a few times. The curly boy wouldn't complain, though. It was just strange.

Tyler sat down heavily on the seat in front of Dan, sighing contently. He was soaked to the bone. His hair was dripping everywhere, sticking a bit to his forehead, spiked at the back of his head. Some drops were sliding on his forehead and down his neck. "Daniel, I know I'm attractive, but why are you staring?" Tyler asked jokingly, snapping Dan out of his thoughts. "Sorry to disappoint you, Joseph, but I was just thinking about the fact that you look like a wet hedgehog." He said, holding back his laughter, and Tyler stuck his tongue out. The waitress came to their table, fluttering her eyelashes at Tyler. Dan rolled his eyes. _God, it's going to be long._ "Hello, boys. I have a pumpkin spice latte—" "For me." Dan said, giving a weird look to Tyler. The latter was staring at him with a tiny smile. The waitress gave it to Dan. "I also have a snickerdoodle hot cocoa with almond milk, for you, I assume, _mister."_ She said, shooting a smile at Tyler, who was still staring at Dan with a smile. He just nodded, not looking away. The waitress was growing frustrasted, and Dan couldn't hold his smile back. "It's a really good choice, sir. May I ask if you're vegan? I'm saying this because of the almond milk choice instead of the cow milk. Not that it isn't a good choice, it's the opposite of a bad choice, I'm—" _"Thank you."_ Tyler cut her off, still not looking away from Dan. She awkwardly put the beverage on the table. "Well, I'm... I'll be at the bar if you need anything." She said, and Dan almost felt bad for her.

When she left, Tyler's smile got bigger, and he started drinking. Dan didn't ask, afraid to ruin the good mood. "Thank you," He simply muttered. They drank in silence for a while, before Dan sneezed again. Tyler looked at him, raising a brow. "You okay? It's the second time it's happening." He asked, not sounding really concerned but looking like he tried his best to be. Dan shrugged. "Probably an allergy." Tyler just nodded while getting up. "Come over?" He indifferently asked. Dan looked at him really surprised. "Oh— Okay. I mean, yes. Okay."

He earned a weird look from his new friend, but he was too excited to be annoyed about it. It was the first time someone ever invited him to their house. He had never had friends, ever. People would always make fun of him for being taller in kindergarten and primary school. In middle school, people made fun of him for his "feminine manners". In high school, nobody actually talked to him. He barely ever talked to anyone, except that Phil guy from his drama class and Tyler. It felt new to him, and something told him that Tyler felt the same.

 

* * *

 

 

Dan would've never expected Tyler's room to look like that. He was expecting to face a huge mess after opening the door. Turns out, he didn't. Well, it wasn't exactly tidy and neat, but it was an organized mess. From every sheet of paper beside his bed to the ukulele lying on the floor, everything looked perfect. To be fair, it screamed Tyler. The latter urned the PS4 on. "Make yourself at home, I guess?" He said, grabbing the playstation controller and handing it to Dan. The curly boy shook his head while sitting down on the bed. "I'm good, thanks. I'll watch you play." He said. Tyler just shrugged and sat down on the floor.

Soon after, Dan fell asleep.


	4. one talkative motherfucker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so fucking tired i haven't slept in 3 whole days and i can't sleep can anxiety fuck off thanks + adhd is kicking my ass and depression is too, life is so fucking great

Dan was woken up with a few slaps in the face. "Dude! Wake up!" Tyler whisper-shouted. Dan sat down quickly, trying to blink his confusion away, looking at Tyler. "What happened?" The tall guy asked. His friend looked panicked. "You fell asleep, no big deal, but my mom just came home and you need to leave by the window right now!" He said. Dan squinted at him. "Okay? But we're upstairs, I don't want to break my legs." He said while crossing his arms.

Tyler looked so angry and panicked. It changed a lot from the Tyler Dan had been with this afternoon. They could hear footseps in the stairs. "For fuck's sake, get out of this house, Howell!"

Dan simply shrugged and opened the window. Luckily, a massive tree was facing it, and Dan could easily jump and grip it, and so he did. He struggled a bit while sliding down but managed to get there in one entire piece. The night had fallen. What time is it? His mom wasn't going to be too pleased if it was late. Coming out of Tyler's yard, he heard the window close loudly behind him. He sighed, shaking his head. This guy definitely wasn't of the nice type. Dan just hoped he wasn't in trouble.

Tyler's mom entered in the room, to find Tyler "playing video games" (he had rushed to sit back on the floor and was even holding the controller upside down). "So that's where you are!" She said, sounding angry. Her son looked at her, acting like he didn't understand. _"Don't_ look at me like that! You skipped school again to play. I know it." She said, her voice cracking a bit, and it sounded like tears were going to fall from her eyes. "I did." The boy said with a bored tone, looking back at the screen. His mother looked like she was going to fall down. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" She growled, and Tyler took a few seconds before doing as she wished. He was getting slightly angry too. "What the _fuck_ do you want?" He asked aggressively, making her mom step back in shock. "Do you want to make me remember how much of a bad son I am? How Josh Dun would be so much better?" He spat, and Kelly didn't move. Her mouth was just a thin line now, and she looked like she was about to scream insults to Tyler. She simply slammed the door.

Why did it have to be about Josh Dun again? Tyler shook his head. He needed to stop with this guy. He was gone. The boy stood up, running his hands through his hair while taking sharp intakes of breath. That Josh Dun had disappeared like three days ago, and he was already turning insane about it. But why? _Why?_ Why was he so concerned about him? This guy doesn't matter. He never did, he won't ever. Tyler's heart was pounding in his ears while he remembered the times he would cross paths with the other boy. His hair color often changed, making his face look a bit different each time. Tyler remembered when, in freshman year, Josh had gotten a nose ring. He had always wondered why his heart had skipped a bit when he had first saw it ; he was passing by in the hall, and Josh was talking to a girl with bright orange hair. Tyler was staring at him. He had laughed with the girl, and smiled widely. "Fuck!" Tyler shouted, punching the wall.

He fell down, his back sliding against the wall, and he couldn't hold his sobs back. The boy was shaking from everywhere and crying. He started to hyperventilate shortly after. Was he really having a panic attack over Josh? Hearing his mom yell something to him from downstairs but not really understanding what it was, he hugged his knees close to his upper body and burried his face in his arms, hoping sleep would come.

Turns out, sleep didn't come. Half an hour later, he had to get up to go and wrap his fist in bandages. Punching the wall like a stupid asshole had made his knuckles bleed. He heard the sound of dishes being washed downstairs. His family had probably eaten without him. It wasn't that big of a deal. It really wasn't. He didn't care.

But sometimes, he wished Josh would've taken him with him, so he could be far from here.

Sometimes, he wished Josh wasn't away so he could talk to him like he had always wanted to.

 

 

* * *

 

Dan stared at the empty seat besides him in history class. No sign of Tyler, all day. He hadn't shown up at school today. Was he mad at Dan? He couldn't bring himself not to care. If Tyler had a problem with growing attached to people, Dan had the opposite one ; he appreciated people too much, too fast. And, after talking to him for a bit, he had understood that Tyler wasn't the bad guy everyone wanted him to be. He wasn't the nicest either, but he was nowhere near mean. Just a bit scared of the world around him and people in it. Dan smiled alone in the back, and he thought that he was really looking forward knowing Tyler better. He was unique, and attractive on top of that. A really interesting guy overall.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Dan sat down with Philip Lester (and he was surprised to find out that Phil wasn't actually his full name) for lunch, and they talked a lot. Phil was a bit too talkative to Dan's taste, and he was slightly starting to understand what Tyler had meant when he said he didn't like talkative people that much. The curly boy told himself that he would be careful from now to not annoy Tyler by talking too much.

At six, the bell rang the end of the day and everyone rushed outside, hiding themselves under their umbrellas or their bags for those who couldn't do better. This day had seemed so long and dull to Dan, and seeing rain didn't make him happier.

He slowly walked out of the hallways, and he was surprised to find the school parking lot almost empty. Were people this desperate to leave? He hadn't been outside for really long, really, a few seconds, and he was already soaking wet. He couldn't figure out why he didn't mind it that much. He usually hated rain, even though it was common when he lived in London a few years ago.

The school was far behind him, and the houses slowly became trees and empty buildings, the street lights looking strange through Dan's eyes. On some walls, he could see the papers Tyler and him had taped together. They were soaked, some were ripped off, some had fallen down. Dan knew really well taping papers would lead nowhere. But he still hoped. Josh was the first person he talked to when he first arrived from England, in middle school. It was just a few words, and they never spoke again after that, but through that short amount of time, Dan was seeing Josh like the sun. He just seemed to shine brightly, words after words.

He almost thought he could see someone in front of a wall, looking at one of the papers. Wait, there really was someone. It looked like the person was trying to fix the corner that was coming off of the wall. Could it be...?

No, it wasn't Josh Dun. The tall boy looked at the stranger's backpack, his clothes, the way he was standing. No doubt ; it was Tyler.

What was he doing here?

Dan was almost tempted to scream his name and wave at him, but it felt like it wasn't the right time to do that. He just approached at a quick pace, the rain muffling his footsteps. Tyler didn't move one bit, and after thirty seconds, Dan thought about touching his shoulder or something so he would notice him.

"Do you think he's ever gonna come back?" Tyler asked, not looking away from Josh Dun's face. Dan jumped slightly, not expecting his friend to talk. "I don't know, dude. I hope so."

Tyler started to walk again, glancing at Dan quickly as a sign to follow him. What was this expression on Tyler's face? Dan had never seen him like that in the short amount of time they had known each other or in the hallways before they had ever talked. Dan had hundreds of questions to ask Tyler, but he just kept them to himself, constantly reminding himself of what he had thought at lunch when eating with Phil : no babbling without stopping, no being talkative shit. _Silence,_ it felt strange to Dan. The only sound between them was the rain for a long, long time.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Tyler asked, breaking the silence. Dan answered on autopilot. "You don't like talkative people, I don't like being a pain in the ass."

Tyler stopped. Dan didn't right away, and stopped a foot or so later. He looked back at Tyler, and he was wearing a strange expression on his face. It was somewhere between confusion, sadness and anger. He looked like he was struggling. "I don't like talkative people." He said, eyebrows furrowed, before looking up at Dan. "But I like when _you_ 're talkative." He added firmly. Dan's heart stopped. _Wow._

His shorter friend started to walk again, hands burried in his pockets. Dan followed him right after. "Why weren't you here today? We had the history test, and since you weren't here, I had nobody to steal answers from. Not that yours are the best example of course." He said, babbling like a child. "I didn't feel like going." Tyler simply answered. "What, why? Don't you enjoy the company I offer you? I can't believe it. Oh, and I ate with Phil Lester, by the way. This dude is a snack hole, how is he so fit while eating so much?" Dan asked. "He's almost as tall as I am, do you realise? The guy is like, a giant. But a tiny giant. And i'm the tall giant. He's super nice, though. A nice, tiny geant." He added, and stopped talking when he heard Tyler sigh loudly, feeling like he had spoken way too much. "You are one fucking talkative motherfucker, Howell." Tyler then said, sounding really annoyed.

Dan looked at him, and, under the street lights, he could see that Tyler Joseph was smiling warmly, looking right in front of him, and listening to every single word Dan spoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, i'm gonna include Josh soon!


	5. field and flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu im aliv

Tyler let out a sigh of relief as he heard the bell ring loudly in the hallways. He was tired of waiting on that stupid parking lot, he looked stupid sitting on the floor with stupid sunglasses on and his stupid bruised knuckles. When Dan finally came, he didn’t miss that latter fact.

“What happened to your hand?” He asked, genuinely concerned, while Tyler got up and dusted his jeans off. He grinned at Dan. “Kicked your ass in an alternate universe.” He said, going back to a straight face right after, and Daniel shoved him with his shoulder right away, Tyler shoving him back with his own. "Where were you this morning, why are you here now and where are we going?" The tall guy asked. Tyler just snorted.

 "Are you afraid of the speed?" He asked, quirking his eyebrows at Dan with a grin on his face. His friend tilted his head to the side, confused. The shorter boy walked to a nice and fancy motorbike, grabbing a black helmet and throwing it at Dan, who almost missed it but caught it, still really, _really_ confused. Tyler climbed on the bike without any helmet, and grinned at his tall friend, who looked at him with wide eyes. "Is that thing _yours_ , Joseph?" He asked. Tyler nodded, smirking cockily. "Put the helmet on now, and climb behind me." He said, holding back a laugh when he saw his friend's face. Dan did as he asked, completely lost.

The shorter one searched for the keys, and Dan was simply sitting awkwardly behind him. He sighed, and grabbed his friend’s arms to wrap them around his own waist. “If you’re scared or anything, just tighten your grip around me.” Tyler said. Dan just nodded, feeling a bit nervous to be so close to Tyler. “Hold tight, fuckface!” The latter said before laughing and turning the bike on, leaving the parking lot way too fast for it to be safe.

Daniel James Howell had never really been one for dangerous situations, adrenaline rushes and excessive speed. However, it felt so much more different with Tyler – any fear seemed to have disappeared. The road was ( _thankfully_ ) completely empty, and Tyler was driving really, _really_ fast, and he was going faster each second. Dan let out loud giggles, while Tyler just proceeded to scream his lungs out with long _wooohooooo_ ’s.

 

* * *

 

“What is your relationship with your parents, Daniel?” Tyler asked while stopping the bike and climbing off of it. Dan removed the helmet, his soft curls sticking out in every directions. “Nothing special. My mom is the invasive type of mom, my dad is the always-at-work type of dad.” He said, a sudden sunray hitting his face in the right spots in a ridiculously soft way, showing his freckles. “I asked your relationship with them, _not_ who they are.” Tyler mumbled, sounding like a frustrated child. Dan smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m stupid.” He apologized. “I have a pretty great relationship with them, I’d say. They're really kind to me. I don’t see my dad much, though, so there’s no real relationship between us. The only times I see him, we talk about how well I’m doing in school and if I still get good enough results to go to some sort of medical school.” He said, smiling sadly. “And my mom is obsessed with how well I’m doing.” He added, a small laugh following it. "I don't care about medical school or good grades. I just want to have fun." He said, and Tyler smiled. "That's why we're here, moron. We're far away from them and you're not anywhere close being a doctor when hanging out with me."

Tyler sat down in the grass, tapping with the palm of his hand the place beside him to ask his friend to sit with him. Dan came up to him and sat down, picking at the flowers. Tyler then lay down, and silence fell.

“You’re not stupid.” Tyler finally says after a while. Dan looks at him, confused. “Earlier, when you apologized for literally _nothing_ , you also added that you were stupid.” He said softly. “You aren’t.”

Dan sighed and lay down beside Tyler. “You’re wrong.” He mumbled. He got a snort from Tyler as an answer, who looked at him. “Do you really think I would let you sit on my damn bike if you _really_ were stupid?” He asked, and the question both made them laugh. Of course not.  Dan linked their hands, interlacing their fingers, and even though Tyler wanted to remove his hand and scream, he didn’t. Instead, he just looked away so Dan wouldn’t see his face.

“What are you thinking about?” Dan asked after a few minutes of silence. “You’re so hard to read. I never know what you’re thinking.” He added. Tyler sighed. “Wondering about where the Dun kid is right now.” He admitted, and Dan softly removed his hand from Tyler’s grasp, coughing awkwardly. “Oh, yeah? Why?” He asked with a weird tone, and Tyler sat up. “I mean, he disappeared. He could be anywhere right now. Starving, cold, thirsty. Even dead.” He said, shrugging. "I miss seeing him in the hallways. Something was so cheerful about him. Instantly made my days better." Something was screaming inside of him, deep in his chest. He really needed to find this guy or he’d turn mad. Dan remained quiet.

 

* * *

 

The ride back to school was quiet, and a lot slower. When they arrived and Dan removed the helmet, he looked at it for a few seconds. “Why weren’t you wearing a helmet, Tyler?” He asked. Tyler looked at him like it was the stupidest question ever. “Because I only have one?” He said, speaking in a weird voice. “I didn’t want you to break your skull in half so I gave it to you.” He added. Dan’s heart swelled. Tyler _cared_ about him! He followed him happily, going to the cafeteria to eat something.

They sat together, Dan ate a whole decent meal and Tyler destroyed a banana between his fingers without even eating half of it, lost in his thoughts.

He stared at his hand, thinking about when Dan had intertwined their fingers, and he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that he wished more than anything that it was Josh’s hand in his, lying in this tiny field between wildflowers and bathing in pale sunrays. Safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shitty and short but i need to make dan and tyler's relationship evolve a bit to finally start including josh a bit more


	6. a black and fancy watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thats so fucking shitty hit me with a large plank

Josh couldn’t run any longer; when he stopped, he coughed again and again, the taste of blood in his mouth reminding him of how bad he fucked up. Because he really, _really_ did.

When he had finally reached the edge of Columbus after days of walking and hiding in forests and black hoodies, his feet sore, his throat dry and his stomach empty despite the apple he had managed to steal and eat a few hours earlier, he couldn’t go any farther. The cops were everywhere.

He was expecting it, in a way; he had literally disappeared. But so many cops, for someone like him? _Seriously_?

Josh’s heart had dropped to his stomach when he saw the cars and all the policemen, some standing straight and looking around, others talking to each other. Everything had felt surreal for a few seconds – he needed to leave, fast, and in silence. Thankful that he had chosen black clothes, he extended his arms slowly to make sure he wouldn’t hit anything and could catch himself if he fell, and started walking backwards as carefully as possible, refusing to turn away from anyone that was here. It was around five in the afternoon, and luckily the night was already starting to fall, since it was the beginning of march. His left palm hit a tree, and he stopped suddenly, a branch cracking loudly under his foot. _How fucking cliché,_ he thought, as every single cop that was there stopped talking.

All Josh could hear was his breathing, and his fast, _fast_ heartbeat. All he could see was every single policeman’s face looking in his direction, not seeing him. He squeezed his eyes shut and put a palm over his mouth and his nose, in hope it would make everything disappear. He opened his eyes again when he heard a voice.

“James, you call the office and tell everyone there to close the whole city and not let anyone leave unless they saw their face”, one of them said, looking right at the spot where Josh was standing.

“But chief…” the guy who was probably named James said. “It was just a noise, the Dun kid probably left Columbus a few days ago, and…”

“ _Now_.”

Everything happened in a few seconds. A flashlight blinded Josh, who acted on autopilot. He heard a few screams as he started running like he never had before, and he wasn’t sure if he was screaming too, or if it was just his heartbeat, beating loudly in his ears. The leaves and the branches were hitting his face and occasionally scratching him, the cops were behind him, some running and calling his name, flashlights going everywhere, police sirens screaming louder than everyone a bit farther. He ran, ran, ran until his legs couldn’t hold him up anymore, and he fell on the floor. That’s how Joshua Dun ended up coughing his lungs out, kneeling in the dirt.

The night had fallen now, and he wishes he would’ve looked at his watch before seeing the policemen, because now, he couldn’t find it at all. It must’ve fallen while he was running. He even recognized where he currently was; just besides his school. Josh stood up, wiping the dirt away from his clothes. Well, that was fucking wild.

The rain was also pouring. He was at the very edge of the forest, meaning he could see the road and the orange street lights lighting everything up. Something caught his eye, and he almost fainted at the vision of it. Someone was there.

His hand flew up to cover his mouth again, swallowing a loud scream of terror, before realizing that whoever this was, they hadn’t seen him, and they probably didn’t care about him anyway.

The first affirmation was correct, but he soon realized that the second one truly wasn’t.

The person was standing in front of a wall, where a poster of Josh’s own face was glued, with black, bold letters “ _have you seen this boy?”._ It almost made him snort. How ridiculous was that? Were posters going to find him?

What interested him most was who was standing there. He couldn’t see at first, but then, the person moved their head a bit, and he would’ve recognized this pixie nose from kilometers away.

“Where the fuck are you, Joshua Dun?” Tyler Joseph asked, looking towards the sky.

Josh leaned against a tree, his heart feeling like it had just been ripped out of his chest. Tyler Joseph had always been someone he felt like was unreachable. How many times had he smiled at him in the hallways, just earning nods and half-smiles from the other guy? How many times had he looked at him at the cafeteria, or the library, or whenever they would share a class? How many times had he cried alone in his room for feeling so many things for another guy, for a stranger, known to be a huge asshole? And now, that same asshole was staring at a poster of his face under the pouring rain and trying to fix the corner of it that was coming off of the wall.

If Josh was stupid, he would’ve loudly sobbed. Actually, he almost did. He even almost stepped out of the woods to tell him that he was here. How dumbly could feelings make you act, sometimes.

But he didn’t, because he saw a tall figure coming to his left, walking on the road. Nobody would see him where he was, but it still scared him. He couldn’t quite figure out who was the guy, he knew he had seen him at school once or twice, but he couldn’t put a name on his face. He walked towards Tyler, and just stood there for, like, a full minute. How fucking dumb were they? The rain was fucking pouring, and those dumb asses were standing outside, in the rain.

"Do you think he's ever gonna come back?" Tyler asked to the other guy, not looking away from the paper on the wall.

Josh’s heart broke into millions of pieces, and he stepped back in the woods. Later that evening, he curled up on himself, his back against a tree, and cried until sleep came to soothe him for a few hours at least.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“The police saw Joshua yesterday.”

Tyler’s dad choked on his meatball, looking at his wife like she had just dropped a bomb, Zack looked at Maddy, Maddy looked at Jay, Jay looked at Tyler. “Where?” Tyler asked.  “Looks like you finally remembered how to speak to us.” Zack mumbled, earning a light kick under the table from their father who raised his eyebrows at him.

“They saw him at the edge of Columbus, he was about to leave the city, but he escaped by taking the opposite way.” His mom added calmly, clearly uncomfortable by her son’s sudden interest. “He basically ran towards around here. We don’t know where he stopped, but around the school, they found a watch that belongs to him, and…” “Can I see it?” Tyler cut her off while standing up. Everyone looked at him like he was fucking insane. Truth is, he probably was. “I want to see it.” He added. His mother looked at him, a bit concerned. “I can’t show it to you, Tyler… Laura Dun has it, and…”

Tyler didn’t let her finish her sentence. He stormed out of the room, jumped in his shoes and slammed the door of the house behind him. He needed to see the watch, right now, or he would go crazy. He needed proof that Josh had actually been seen, that the watch actually belonged to him, he needed a proof that the guy was alive and breathing. Jogging quickly across the street, he knocked on the Dun’s house door. Jordan opened it, smiling at him.

“Tyler! What a surprise.” He said, leaning in to hug him with one arm, Tyler awkwardly patting his back. What the fuck? They had talked like, once? Why was he acting so friendly? The older one didn’t say anything though, he needed to be able to get in the house and take that watch away, or see it at least. “Can I, hum- Can I come in?” Tyler asked awkwardly, and Jordan nodded while stepping back to let him enter, closing the door behind them.

Tyler was warmly hugged by everyone in the house, everyone saying they were happy to see him, asking him to sit down with them. Soon after, Tyler was sitting in front of a cup of tea, cubes of sugar being repeatedly dropped in it by Laura who wouldn’t stop babbling about how “Joshie takes three cubes of sugar with his tea” but “none with his coffee” and how “strange it was”. He was already fed up with all of them, but he just kept smiling at them and nodding to everything they said.

“So, Tyler, tell me. What did you do today?” Laura asked, and Tyler was growing more and more uncomfortable each second. He told her that he went on a ride with his motorbike, saw a pretty field and then went home. Before he could add anything, Laura cut him off “Josh and you could go to that field together! I’m sure you two could become very good friends.” Tyler’s face flushed red. This was the awkwardest thing ever; he tried to understand her, really. She had lost one of her sons in a way, but hearing her talk about him like he was in a room made him feel really weird. “About Joshua, I’m…” “ _Josh_.” Laura said, a smile on her face, but she looked so creepy. He nodded. “Yes, sorry. About _Josh_. Could I- Er- Could I see the watch, please?” He asked, and suddenly felt guilty for coming to ask this. Laura added to other sugar cubes to his tea. “Yes, sure, yes, you can!” She said in a high-pitched voice, taking a watch out of her jeans pocket. A shiver ran down Tyler’s spine as he took it in his hand.

It was a really elegant watch, and it probably cost a lot. Tyler had never been interested in watches or anything, but there was something about this one that felt magical. It reminded him of children playing together, of laughing when playing video games, of holding hands and of sharing smiles in the hallways. The texture felt like summertime and the colour looked like the sky on late nights while sitting on roofs. Fuck. He felt like crying, now.

“Can I keep it with me for a while?” He asked, and everyone looked at him in silence. Of course he can’t! They had just lost their son, their brother. Of course the neighbor can’t keep the only sign of life he gave. Laura broke the silence. “Yes, you can, honey.” She said. Everyone looked down but her, who just smiled sweetly at him. “You’ll give it back to him, of course.”

Tyler’s heart dropped and he nodded. For the first time in his life, he was ashamed. He stood up, thanked everyone, told them that he needed to leave because his parents were waiting for him to have dinner, and he left the Dun’s behind with his cold cup of tea full of sugar, and without the watch that he was holding against his chest when he crossed the street. He didn’t hear anything when his mom yelled at him. He didn’t listen. He just held the watch as close as possible to his heart.

He spent the evening looking at it while lying in bed, a few tears falling against his will, his heart beating to the rhythm of the clock, hoping that somewhere, Josh’s heartbeat was matching his.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Yeah! Laura is super weird.” Tyler said to Dan. “Weird how?” The latter asked between two bites of a peach. “Like weird, _weird.”_

They were sitting on the ground, in Dan’s backyard, and they had been talking about last night and how the police had seen Joshua Dun for hours now.

“Do you think that’s why he left?” Dan asked, and Tyler snorted. “Of course not! You don’t run away because your mom’s annoying.” He said, and Dan shrugged. “I would be far away from here if it was the case.” Tyler added, mumbling. “Why?” Dan asked.

Tyler shook his head, and before he knew it, a tear came out of his eye. “Hey, hey, hey– don’t cry, please– that’s okay, we’re okay.” Dan said, panicking a bit, not used to see Tyler show human emotions. The latter shrugged. “That’s not okay, and we truly aren’t okay. This world is a fucking mess, and I don’t even know what to do with myself anymore.” He said, gripping Josh’s watch on his wrist. “Fuck– I don’t want to be upset about everything anymore. I want everything to be normal again.”

Dan wrapped his arms around Tyler who started sobbing. “Why the fuck am I crying?” He said burying his face in Dan’s shoulder. “I have no reason to be upset!” He mumbled, gripping Dan’s shirt. The taller guy held him a bit closer. “We all have reasons to be upset, no matter what they are.” He whispered. Tyler squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe if he squeezed them hard enough, it would be Joshua Dun hugging him.


End file.
